I'll Be Seeing You
by SeBabGr
Summary: summary inside! based on the book I'll be seeing you by Lurlene McDaniels
1. summary

this is by Lurlene McDaniels i thought it was a great book i'm making it a troypay style. i might change somethings from the book and make it with east high and try to fit all the wildcats in the story. leave me comments, let me know what you think.

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Sharpay Evans never expected to become friends with a guy as cute as Troy Bolton, especially not in a hospital. 17 year old Troy was blinded when a Chemistry experiment exploded. His doctors don't know whether he'll get his vision back, and he's deeply depressed. Sharpay understands how miserable it is to be in the hospital. At 16, she had plenty of experience. But Sharpay is keeping a secret from troy. Everyone knows guys like hot pretty girls, well since Sharpay's horrific accident her face has not been the same. Since she becomes so close to Troy, she's worried that when the bandages come off and he sees the way she looks he will leave her.


	2. Chapter 1

i don't own anything i do own the name Sophie parker well sorta my bff gave me the name sophie. i don't own the story at all..or the hsm cast.

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"Give it a rest Sophie" Sharpay Evans said.

Only Sophie Parker could get excited about a new patient being admitted to their floor. Sophie is one of those girls who makes friends with everyone considering what happened to her. Though Sharpay was wondering who this person was that had just been admitted to their floor. She told Sophie, "We're not Albuquerque General Social Committee,"

She balanced on her crutches, flipped the gears on Sophie's electric wheelchair, and guided it backward to Sharpay's room. Sophie Sharpay's new friend seems to be very optimistic.

"I heard his name is Troy Bolton." Sophie told her "I asked a nurse and she said he's from around here like you. Maybe he even goes to the same high school as you. Wouldn't that be a coincidence? You come to the hospital and make friends with a cool guy."

"You're all the friends I need to make here, Sophie." Sharpay tried to smile but Sophie was too much, talking about guys. A couple days before, Sharpay had undergone surgery on her leg for horrible fall that happened the day after Christmas. A infection from it landed her in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Sharpay wasn't so sick that she was confined to her bed, but she was super bored. Then Sophie rolled in her room and started a conversation with her they'd been friends since.

"I like making new friends," Sophie offered "its fun."

Sharpay had totally different personality about meeting other people. To be honest the only place she felt at home was in the hospital. People were used to kids with problems, so they didn't stare at her as much. Sure, a broken leg was common enough thing to see, but her face…that was a different story. Sharpay propped her crutches against the wall and struggled up on her bed, where she hit the TV remote.

"East High isn't so small that I wouldn't remember a guy named Troy Bolton, and I've never heard of him. Besides, I'm sure we'd never end up in the same crowd."

"Would you please turn that stupid TV off? We have a plan to talk about." Sharpay looked at her and said "what?"

" I'm talking about how we are going to meet him…and get to know him." Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I don't want to meet this guy, and he most likely doesn't want to meet me either."

"He's just been admitted. Give him a day or two. He'll loosen up."

"From the back he looks completely normal," Sharpay said turning up the volume to the TV.

"Believe me, Sophie; normal guys aren't interested in girls that look like me."

The 8th floor of the huge hospital was reserved for adolescent's patients with variety of medical problems. With his face turned to the wall and his covers pulled up to his shoulders, there was no guessing what might be wrong with Troy Bolton.

Sophie looked disappointed, and Sharpay momentarily regretted destroying the 14 year olds good spirits. _'It's for her own good,'_ Sharpay told herself. Sharpay learned early on that if she didn't set her expectations too high, she didn't get hurt. "Look I didn't mean to rain on you parade. I'm sure Troy will become one of the 'gang' once he realizes that he's stuck here and there's nothing he can do about it." Sharpay moved forward and says to her, "Unless, of course, he makes a rope out of his bed sheets and lowers himself out the window." Sophie giggled "your so funny."

"Sure, a real comedienne," Sharpay said without humor. She liked Sophie. The girl had been born with a type of spina bifid. She had a dwarflike appearance and used a wheelchair. she had a bubbly personality, she had been hospitalized for corrective surgery to her abdominal area. "Once Troy gets to know you, Sharpay I know he'll like you."

"I told you, guys don't like girls who look like me." She almost used the word freak but stopped herself.

"Maybe dumb, immature guys. My dad says that beauty is in the eyes if the beholder."

"Sophie, get a grip. In years between, twelve and twenty, guys don't think with their brains. Or see with their eyes. They see through the eyes of all their friends, and of their friends' friends." Sophie laughed. "well, maybe Troy will be different. Maybe he'll like you for who you are."

"Sure…and if cows could fly, we'd all be wearing football helmets."

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the large window of Sharpay's room, which looked out on the expressways of the large city. Flecks of snow clung to the outside windowsill (**AN: idk if it snows in Albuquerque New Mexico but in this story lets just say it does.**) and although it was the second week in January, faint smudges of the words merry Christmas could still be seen on the inside of the glass.

Sophie fiddled with the controls on her chair. "You've got to stop putting yourself down, Sharpay. Sure, your face is messed up. But at least you're still alive."

"That's what my mother tells me," Sharpay said dryly "it didn't help when I was twelve and it doesn't help now."

A nurse stuck her head through the doorway. "There you are," she said to Sophie. "We've been looking everywhere for you. It's time for afternoon medication. Come on back to your room." Sophie made a face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you have to." The nurse stepped in the room and tugged at the wheelchair. "You can visit Sharpay later. Your doctor wants you on bed rest before your surgery."

"Go on," Sharpay told Sophie. "I'll come down to your room after they deliver dinner."

When she was alone, Sharpay switched off the TV. She elevated the head of the bed until she was sitting upright, crammed the bed pillow against the small of her back, and sighed. She'd start physical therapy (PT) on her leg soon. The process would be painful, but she could endure it. No use having two parts of her body messed up. Yet it didn't seem fair to her that they could fix her leg but not her face. They could never fix her face.

Sharpay's phone rang "Hey, Sis," the voice on the line said. "Are you driving the doctors and nurses nuts yet?"

"I consider it my sacred duty." Ryan laughed. "Listen. Gabby and I are coming tomorrow after school. We have a ton of work for you from our teachers."

Sharpay thought about her twin brother and his girlfriend dragging in boxes full of homework. Today was Wednesday. "Don't they ever let up? I'm stick in the hospital. Who has any energy to study?"

"getting you leg healed and functioning again isn't a round-the-clock thing," Ryan said jokingly " I'm sure you can find an hour or two to hit the books, Oh Mom said she and dad will be over Saturday morning to visit before there trip. Is there anything you want me to bring when gabby and I come?"

Sharpay was looking forward to seeing her family. Since her parents travel a lot and Ryan spends a lot of time with gabby she doesn't get to see her family much. "Could you bring my IPod charger? And some more books for me to read, to help pass the time."

"you should make friends while you're there. Don't have your headphones on a;; the time and ignore everyone else."

"I'm in the hospital Ry, how many friends can I make in a place like this?"

"You never know."

"Oh, believe me Ry I know." Just as Ryan hung up, her dinner arrived. After eating Sharpay went down the hall to visit Sophie, whose room was full of her family members. Sharpay ducked away before anyone could see her and stare or ask questions. She hobbled back to her room as quickly as she could on her crutches. She watched TV and eventually fell asleep.

Sharpay woke up sometime in the night from a bad dream and lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't recall the dream only that it left her heart pounding and her body sweating. She took slow deep breaths to clam herself down, but knew that sleep wasn't going to return anytime soon. So she decided to walk down the hall to the nurses' station at the far end. She was too antsy to stay in bed.

The corridor was quiet, and as usual for the night shift, it was dimly lit. She hopped out of her room and paused at the room next to hers. It was the room of the boy Sophie was eager to meet, Troy Bolton. She wondered if he really was a hottie and if he does go to east high. Sharpay didn't know why she slightly opened his door. She saw in the dim light that Troy lay in bed, still turned toward the wall. Sharpay wondered if he'd move since he checked in. was he paralyzed. She wondered. The night-light, mounted on the wall at the head of his bed, was on.

She edged closer, the rubber tips of her crutches squeaking. She realized she had absolutely no right to be in his room, but she stopped beside his bed and leaned over, hoping to catch sight of his face. Unexpectedly he flipped to his back and cried out "Who's there? Who is it? What do you want?" Sharpay was so startled; she dropped one crutch and tried to hide her face with her open hand. She needn't have bothered. In the soft light she saw that large gauze pads covered Troy's eyes. The pads were taped snugly to his temples and cheeks, and strips of gauze were wound around his forehead. Troy Bolton couldn't see her. He was Blind.

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so what do you think? let me know...it took me 3 hours to write this...and it sorta sad about troy being blind. so leave me Reviews please. let me know what you think please..


	3. Chapter 2

ok again i don't own anything in this chapter you see what happened to her face... this story is sad...and thanks for the Reviews means alot to me :)

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"Who's there? What do you want?" Troy repeated.

"Don't panic," Sharpay sad quietly. "I…it's just me, I'm your neighbor. In the room next door. You know a patient like you." Sharpay wanted to reach out a touch his face with the pads.

"Why are you in my room?" Sharpay didn't want to tell him she was curious to see what he had, and that she was just being a little nosy, so she told him

"Well I was on my way to the nurses station and I thought I heard a strange nose so I thought I'd come in and see if you were alright." He turned his back to the wall and said "I'm not all right." She nervously chewed her bottom lip. 'Leave' she thought to herself, but something told her to stay. "Do you want me to get you a nurse? I could push your call button for you, just incase you couldn't find it, since your eyes are bandaged." She felt so insensitive about mentioning the very thing that made him very depressed. It made Sharpay upset when little kids would sit and point at her and ask, "Hey, what's wrong with your face?"

"I don't want a nurse;" Troy said "A nurse can't help me."

"Well I'm sorry if I scared you." She bent down to pick up her crutch that fell, and put it under her arm. "So I'll just leave you alone…"

"What time is it?" he asked as if she hadn't said anything before hand. "Um…it's three o'clock."

"Is it afternoon already?"

"No it's three in the morning."

He moved to face her. "And you're just walking around at three in the morning?"

Though his eyes were bandaged, Sharpay could saw his brown hair over the top of his gauze strips wound around his forehead to help keep the pads on his eye in place. His cheeks were high and his jaw line square, his skin looked smooth. He was cuter then Sophie had been hoping he'd be. "Couldn't sleep," Sharpay answered to his question. " it sounds stupid but I had a bad dream."

"I can't sleep either."

It was quiet in the room but Sharpay couldn't make herself get up and leave. He seemed so helpless, confused and so lonely she oh so lonely. She remembered when she was twelve, how scared she was being alone in a big hospital. With doctors poking and jabbing and loud machines and medications that scared her and made her sick. With the pain in her face made her scream bloody murder." The nurses can give you something to sleep." She told Troy nicely; it made her have an urge to caress his face to try to ease the pain he was feeling.

"I don't want to sleep." He stated, she understood that part also. She also was once afraid to fall asleep. Scared that if she did she wouldn't wake up again. "Sometimes it's better to give in and take extra pain killers." Sharpay said. "It will help you stay mellow."

"Who said I needed pain pills?"

"Just a guess."

"I don't want any pain pills. I hate the way they make me feel."

"Oh I know…it's like you're in la la land. Your high and act funny. But sometimes it's not that bad. It helps pass the time." He kept turning his head as if fixing on her voice. She stepped closer so he wouldn't have to try to figure out where in the room she was. "What's your name?"

Sharpay took a moment, again she realized that he couldn't see her that all he knew was that it was just a voice floating around in a room. "Sharpay Evans." She said

"I'm Troy Bolton." Awkwardly he held out his hand. Too high, but she managed to reach and clasp his palm. He didn't let go. "You're right though, Sharpay. I hurt a lot, but I don't want pills."

"it's ok to take them you know, when the pains really bad."

"But I want to hurt though." She looked at him in shock

":What? Why? No one likes being in pain."

"Because it reminds me I still have eyes."

Goose bumps started on her arms, him saying that gave her chills all over. The image of a mans face without eyes 'unnerved' her. "That's a weird thing to say, want to talk about it? I mean it's cool if you don't, ugh here I go rambling on." He chuckled "it's fine, the story is, some friends and I thought we'd make our own rocket fuel. You know, just see if we could. Well…it exploded in my face…" she interrupted and said "OH MY GOD. What happened next?"

"Well it burned my corneas and chest." He pulled down his hospital shirt and showed her, she saw the huge bandage on his chest. It looked pretty bad. Still looking at it he said "Damn that stupid Chad."

"Who's Chad?" Sharpay asked. "Oh he's my best friend."

"Um…will the burns be alright?"

"Yea they think I'll heal ok there."

"That's good to know." He paused. "But they're not sure if I'll ever see again." Her heart ached for him. When she was younger, she'd suffered with headaches so severe that she'd passed out from the pain. _That's when the doctors discovered a tumor in the left side of her brain; they then put her in immediate surgery. 'At the time, she overheard her parents talking soft, frantic whispers to her doctor. They asked "what's the worst that could happen?" he answered, "it could be malignant and she could lose the left side of her face."_ She asked Troy, "When will they know about your sight?"

"The eyes specialist said that the corneas have to heal, and that will most likely take about two or three months."

"That's awhile so you'll be here till then?" she asked

"Yeah."

"So you have to have hope. And that's good." He sank back to his pillow. "I don't feel very

Hopeful. I…I hate being Blind!" by now Sharpay settled herself to the end of his bed so she could take the weight off her leg, which was killing her. she also knew what hopelessness felt like too. The fact she was cut from across her head from her one ear to the other down the front of her face. It was knowing, that in order for the tumor to be removed, she'd had to lose parts of facial bones, which could never be replaced. It was learning that although her left eye and her mouth had been left intact, her face was permanently disfigured and scarred.

Feeling grateful that she wasn't blind, Sharpay said, "but you may still get your eyesight back. So just don't give up, have a little more faith." Troy took a deep quivering breath. "Yeah. Sure."

"So," she asked, "Should I leave and let you sleep?" he grabbed her hand and said "please don't know talking to you makes me feel so much better."

"It's no big deal." His hair looked really soft; she so badly wanted to touch it.

"So why are you in the hospital." He asked

"Well for Christmas my parents got me rollerblades and I somehow managed to fall and break my leg really bad. The doctor set it and it wasn't healing right so they had to operate on it which was two days ago, and when the got in there I had an infection so that's why I have to in the hospital for awhile. They put antibiotics in my IV four times a day when I'm not hooked to it I like to get my crutches and just snoop around."

"Will your leg be alright?"

"Yea, eventually, but I have to have physical therapy soon, then I have to come back for more then once it's done, I get to get ride of the crutches, cause you know with these I can't sneak up on anyone."

For the first time she saw Troy smile. "I think that's what I heard. The tips of your crutches squeaking. I guess it's true what they say about a person's other senses getting sharper when one of them is missing."

"Don't tell me that. I have a teacher who's deaf as a post and I sure don't want his eyesight any sharper. He may catch me reading the novel I prop behind the text for his class."

Troy smiled "Your funny."

She wanted to tell him that her sense of humor was a by-product of living it her facial deformity, but then realized that there was no reason to divulge what he couldn't see. "A sense of humor helps," she said. "Laughing makes the hurting less painful."

"So when I'm hurting I should find something to laugh bout?"

"Well, there are different degrees of pain. The worse requires a pain killer…which is a topic we already talked about. But if the pains not to bad it can be helped with a laugh." She didn't want to mention about emotional pain, which is a whole different matter then the physical kind. Since her surgery on her face kinds have been laughing at her to make themselves feel better though it hurt her. She continued to say, "Think about it before your accident you didn't know how to make fuel. Now I'll bet you could write a term paper on how to make stuff." She saw his expression and it turned into a smile. He knew it was true him and his buddy Chad make up stuff all the time. "I see your point."

"And another thing. Do you know how many times we use the words 'see' and 'look' when we're trying to tell someone something? Now you have a perfect excuse to say 'No, Stupid, I don't see, and I can't look.'" Sharpay held her breath hoping he wouldn't take it to heart. But she was rewarded with a smile.

"Are you a philosopher?"

"No way. I prefer art to philosophy."

"I used to prefer chemistry," he said.

She smiled and applauded. "Great, you're catching on already. 'Used to prefer chemistry'…get it? That's black comedy if ever I heard it."

"I wont let one feeble joke go to my head." He shifted in the bed, but hung on to her arm.

"You like art. Do you draw?"

"Some. Mostly I like to design you know like clothes and fashion. At home I have all the famous labels. But for my first design I'd like to redo there ugly gowns."

"So where do you go to school?" she paused, not wanting to tell him. If they did go to the same school, if he did it meant he might run into her at school. And she knew she didn't want him to see her as she looked. Just then his door opened a nurse entered. She stopped and froze blinked and looked at the two of them, considering they were close. "Sharpay what are you doing in here? And at three in the morning?"

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Ok so what do you think so far? keep up with the reveiws please :)


	4. Chapter 3

i'm loving the reviews and btw i don't own anything. please keep up the with reviews :)

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Sharpay 'scrambled' off the bed as fast as she could and grabbed her crutches. "I couldn't sleep and came looking for company."

"Maybe other patients would like to sleep," the nurse said.

"It's ok," Troy cut in. "I asked her to stay and talk with me. I couldn't sleep either."

The nurse pursed her lips. "I don't think the doctor would like you staying up late. Anyways its time for your vitals. Now go back to your room Sharpay, before you get into trouble."

Vitals meant the process of taking blood pressures and temperatures, which the nursing staff did around the clock. "I'd figure I would save you the trouble of waking me up," Sharpay said to her as she mad her way to the door.

"Sharpay?" Troy called out to her.

She turned, "Yes?"

"You were right being easier and to take if you laugh some. You've helped me feel so much better, thank you so much for that. And will you please come back and visit me in the morning?"

She felt her heart do a flip. Never had a boy express any interest in her. but then again Troy couldn't see how ugly she thought she actually was. "Um…sure I guess, if you really want me to."

"Yes, please come by anytime, I enjoy you company."

"Shoo," hissed the nurse at Sharpay good naturedly.

Sharpay angled her way out the door, looking back to see Troy raised up on his elbow. His white bandage eyes were turned in her direction, as if she were the center of the universe and her return the most anticipated event in recorded time.

"You met Troy in the middle of the night? That's just so cool! Tell me what's he like?" Sharpay wasn't prepared foe Sophie's visit.

After she left Troy's room she had returned to her own and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, which ended at eight A.M. with the clanking arrival of breakfast trays. She was eating when Sophie rolled into the room, but Sharpay was groggy and in no mood to play twenty questions.

"He's had a chemistry accident and burned his eyes and he's not sure he'll get his sight back again. So he's not having a very good time," she mumbled between bites of soggy cereal. "That's awful." Sophie eyes grew wide with sympathy "is he nice? Do you like him? Was I right was he cute?"

"Oh Sophie please slow down my brain's only half way awake."

Impatiently Sophie nudged her wheelchair closer to where Sharpay sat on her bed with her tray table positioned over her lap. "Well, hurry and wake it up. They're taking me down for X rays soon."

Sharpay smiled at Sophie 'Zealousness. "And I've got to go to PT at ten. Yes, he's nice. Yes, I like him. Yes, he's cute."

"Do you realize that this could be the start of something new? Like a relationship maybe? And to think you guys met here in the hospital."

"He was scared and alone last night. We talked but I don't think he's ready to me his girlfriend."

"Well, I want you to introduce me to him. Will you do that?"

"Of course I will. But he's probably sound asleep, and besides, I'm sure he'll be here for days."

"Yes, but by this time tomorrow I'll be down in surgery, then in recovery and ICU. It may be days before I'm up and rolling again."

Sharpay shook her head in defeat. "All right, lets go next door and annoy Troy."

She poked open his door cautiously, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping. He was sitting up in bed patiently pressing the TV remote from channel to channel, paused to listen for a moment before moving on.

"We're here to rescue you." She said moving into his room and holding the door for Sophie.

"Sharpay!" he sounded pleased, it made her heart skip a beat. "Who's 'we'?"

"This is my friend Sophie."

Sophie Rolled up alongside Troy's bed and touched his arm. He 'groped' with his free hand until he caught her hand. "I'm in a wheelchair," Sophie said "it's electric, so if you hear a whirring sound, you'll know it's me."

"I'm hearing sounds I never noticed when I could see." Sharpay didn't want him to get depressed about his eyesight again, so she changed the subject. "Sophie here is sort of the social butterfly here on this floor, but she didn't want you to get checked out before she recovered enough to be back in the job." Sophie giggled.

"I'm here for probably a week." Troy said.

"An ophthalmologist is keeping tabs on my eyes and another doctor keeps check on my burns. As soon as the heal enough I can go home."

"I hope it works out for you." Sophie said.

"What about you? Will your operation get you out of your wheelchair?"

"No. They can't fix what's wrong with me. But the operation will make me more comfortable

Troy's expression was one of shock that Sophie couldn't be "fixed." Sharpay wondered how he would have reacted to Sophie if he'd been able to see her. Or to Sharpay. She felt insulted and safe so long as he couldn't see either of them.

"I…I'm sorry." Troy's fist balled up among the covers. "It's so frustrating not being able to see anything. I feel like a non participant. I can't even get out of bed without someone to help me. I hate asking for help all the time."

"I can help out a little," Sharpay said. "if you want something…even company…call my room."

"I can't dial the phone." Sharpay came closer, picked up the phone placed it in his hand. "Take the receiver and feel the numbers pad." She watched his fingers trace over the raised buttons. "I'm in room eight-twenty-eight, so you dial a seven plus eight two eight. Get a mental picture of how the pad looks and let you fingers locate the numbers. Now push them." She pressed his fingertips from number to number and dialed her room. "each key has a different tone, you know. Pay attention and pretty soon you'll be able to dial area codes, seven-digit numbers, even foreign cities."

'Gingerly' he experimented, listening carefully to each tone of the number. He was rewarded by the sound of a phone ringing from next door. His face broke in to a smile. "All right. I did it."

"A piece of cake." Sharpay said "And if I'm in my room, we'll talk. And you want something, I'll come hopping over."

Troy asked, "How do you know so much about dialing the phone 'blind' if you can see?"

"I can tell your parents have never put you on phone restriction." Sharpay patted his head as if she was indulging a small child.

"Why I've learned to slip this sucker under the covers at night, dial in the pitch dark, and not misdial a single digit."

Sophie clapped. "Yay! Sharpay."

From the edge of Troy's bed Sharpay performed a mock bow. "Thank you. Thank you."

Troy laughed "I can tell I'm in the presence of a true genius in devious maneuvers. I'm impressed."

Sharpay felt a 'twinge' of guilt. Would he consider her failure to tell him about her scarred face devious? She gave Sophie a sidelong glance, but Sophie was looking 'raptly' at Troy, so it didn't seem as if she thought anything was 'amiss' in Sharpay's purposeful 'omission.'

"Did you know that you and Sharpay both live around here Sophie blurted out.

"No. why did you tell me Sharpay?" she felt her cheeks turn red, then realized her couldn't see her embarrassment. She shot Sophie a look that said. 'Blabbermouth!' Sophie shrugged innocently. "I was going to, but we got interrupted last night," Sharpay explained.

"Where do you go to school?"

Sharpay's heart pounded. More then anything, she didn't want them to be students at the same high school. She took a deep breath and named her large public high school. "I use to do Drama club until something happened but now I don't do anything."

"I go to West High, I'm a junior. And I used to belong to the chemistry club, and basketball team." **(AN: I thought about Taylor with her smartness. In the book he's smart and doesn't play sports so I added that part) **Sharpay sighed with relief. At least that 'hurdle' was crossed. "I'm sure your membership won't be revoked due to your mishap, and you'll probably will still be able to play basketball."

"Well I'd hope I'd still be able to play basketball, since my dad's the coach."

"That's cool." Sharpay said.

"Well I go to middle school, but not hear." Sophie said. She said this as if it was the only important thing to talk about was what school they all went to. For Sharpay the most 'valuable' information was that she'd never have to meet Troy in the hallways and have him stare at or, worse turn his head in disgust.

Two white coated doctors and nurse's aide swept into Troy's room. "Good Moring," one of them said, glancing at the three of them. Sharpay automatically dipped her head to allow he long blonde hair to shield the left side of her face. "Troy, its Dr. Goldstone and Dr. Richmond. Are we interrupting anything? We've come down to take to Ophthalmology and change your bandages."

"It has to be done in the Dark," Troy explained to Sharpay and Sophie. "My eyes are real sensitive to light."

"We've got places to go." Sharpay assured him, hustling to pick up her crutches.

In the hallway Sophie stopped her chair and said, "Troy sure is nice. And good-looking too. It must be terrible to be blind. I feel sorry him, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'm betting he gets his eyesight back," Sophie said firmly. "Don't you think he will?"

"No way of knowing." Sharpay was aware that a small, perverse part of her was glad that Troy couldn't see. She felt bad about it, but also knew that blindness was her safety net. So long as he couldn't see her, he would think she was normal.

And for Troy Bolton, normal was what she wanted to be.

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so what do you think? is it horribble that sharpay is somewhat glad Troys blind?

when i was wrting this i realized i made this Sophie and Sharpay both S&S lol...sorry Gabby and Ryan and Chad and taylor and most of the wildcats aren't in this story i'm tryin to figure out a way to put them in. i think once in awhile i'll mention them. so please keep up with the Reviews. and i'll most like update real soon. :) and let me know what you think might happen and if you like it

peace

Rachel :)


	5. Chapter 4

ok so in this chapter i so had to make a twist. you see in the book she has a sister well in this story she has a twin brother. and Gabby is Ryan's Gf and Gabby and Sharpay are like Bff's. Troy's mentioned in this Chapter but not in it. well thanks for the reviews :)

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Sharpay returned to her room, where she was hooked to an IV for her does of antibiotics. By the time she was unhooked, it was time to go down to PT to begin rehabilitation on her leg. An aide took her down in the elevator in a wheelchair, along a covered walkway, to a separate building. Inside, a large spacious physical therapy room was filled with equipment and tables. Therapists were working with patients of all ages.

"My name's Emily Gallagher and I'll be your PT." the woman who stood in front of Sharpay was slim and youthful, with long hair that hung down her back in a French braid.

"I'll be working with you twice a day thirty minutes per session in a series of exercises to get your leg functioning perfectly again. You'll be off those crutches in no time."

"What? Give up my crutches? How will I fight off all my a?" admires Sharpay didn't bother to hide her face from the PT. she figured the woman was used to seeing deformity.

Emily smiled. "So, I have a comedienne for a patient, believe me, you're a welcome departure from the kind who grumbles all the time." She helped Sharpay out of her Wheelchair, boosted her up onto a low table, and started examining her leg, which was held rigid by a cast.

"What happened to your leg that it's this way?" Sharpay told her about her accident.

"And this was the day after Christmas?"

"Yes, but after I spent like almost two weeks in the cast, that X rays showed that it wasn't going back together the way its suppose to, so Dr. Olson told us he'd have to operate and reset it."

"And, according to your chart, that's when they discovered the osteomyelitis."

"The what?"

Emily smiled. "The infection."

"Whatever. Anyways, I have to stay in the hospital until it goes away."

"It'll give us time to establish your therapy."

Sharpay kept waiting for Emily to ask about her disfigured face, but Emily didn't. Instead she started in explaining about the therapy. "We'll start with simple stretches exercise. Your chart states that you sustained tendon damage around your knee and ankle too."

"My doctor said he may have to operate on the tendons again." She understood the severity of her break and how concerned her parents had been about it. But considering her medical history, she refused to get too agitated about a broken leg. It would be fixed. However, she regretted losing her rollerblades over it.

After the leg had been set the first time, her mother had said, _"Those rollerblades are going into the garbage." Sharpay protested, "But mom, they're brand new. I just got them!"_

_"I don't care. Don't you realize that because of them you could walk with a limp for the rest of your life?" to which Sharpay replied, "I'd look like 'Quasimodo in the hunchback of Notre Dame,' wouldn't I?" She leaned over, curled her lip, and dragged her leg which was now encased in plaster._

_"That isn't funny, Sharpay," her mother said'_

_"Why not? Bum leg and weird face. I think it's funny."_

Emily, the PT interrupted Sharpay's thoughts. "You'll also start riding the stationary bike and in about ten days you'll begin partial weight-bearing exercise. I'll start you out with two-pound weights, take you to four, and eventually get you to where you once again have full ROM 'that's range of motion.'"

"Will I be able to drive?" Sharpay had taken her road test in October, on her sixteenth birthday with Ryan.

"Not right away," Emily said. "But it is your left leg, do if you've got an automatic shift, it shouldn't be too long before you can drive. Just be careful. You don't want to rack up the other leg."

"That's for sure. I hate being stuck in the hospital."

"we'll get you out as soon as we can," Emily said cheerfully.

Sharpay thought about Troy, lying upstairs, a prisoner of his darkness. "Do you work with blind people?"

"No, I don't but we have people here on our staff that does. Why do you ask?"

'there's this guy on my floor who's blind, and I was wondering what you all did to help somebody like him."

"First his doctor has to authorize it, but basically, in the beginning, he'll have to be trained to more around safely. Plus he'll need to be counseled from a psychological perspective. Blindness is a emotional adjustment."

Sharpay understood perfectly about the adjustment to the emotional aspect of a catastrophic event. When she'd been told that the tumor removed from her face had been cancerous and that nothing could be done to reconstruct her lost bone and tissue, she'd gone into a deep depression. She'd wept for days, even though her doctor had tried to console her with news that he'd cut out all of the tumor and that after chemotherapy treatments she shouldn't have to worry about the cancer ever returning.

At the time, they'd shaved her head, operated, and stitched her up so that black sutures ran along lines over the top of her head and around her nose. With time, her hair grew back and the sutures line faded. But the deformity remained. Her face looked sunken on the left side, her nose scrunched, her eye had closed. She was ugly…no doubt about it.

"Well, I'm hoping his doctors can fix up this guy so that he won't be blind," Sharpay told Emily, forcing herself away from painful memories.

"I hope so too," Emily said.

Sharpay started her therapy thinking more about Troy and his problems then her own broken leg. She wanted the best for him. She just didn't want to be in his line of vision when, and if his bandages came off.

"Hey, Shar. Whatcha doing?" Ryan breezed into Sharpay's hospital room, with Gabby next to him with shopping bags in her hands and her purse over he shoulder.

"Bowling."

Ryan and Gabby laughed, Ryan said, "I see you haven't lost you sense of humor." Sharpay sitting in her bed, while Ryan went over and sat in the recliner chair, then gabby sat on his lap. Sharpay tossed down her fabulous magazine that she was reading. "We've brought your homework. You've got homework from every subject."

"Oh Gee, that just brighten me day." Sharpay said with sarcasm.

"Tell me what's happening. Mom and Dad want a full report." Sharpay described PT session.

"Did it hurt?" Gabby asked

" Oh my god Gabby it hurt like crazy. But you know what they say: No pain no gain."

"Sharpay your brother he says that all the time after training for baseball." Gabby said to her friend.

"Ok remind me never to use that phrase again, I don't want to sound like my brother your sitting on." Ryan Narrowed his eyes "Shar. Be nice to me."

"Aw Ry. Do I have to?" she asked with sweetness in her voice.

"Yes, you do or else I wont bring your stuff next time I come here." He said sternly.

"Ok ok Ry. You win; I'll be nice to you. You know I love you." Sharpay said lovely to her brother.

"thank you, and I love you too."

" so what's been going on since I left tell me all the gossip." Sharpay asked excitedly.

Ryan slightly pushed Gabby off and said, "this is my cu to leave and let you gossip like little girls." Sharpay and Gabby just looked at him and smiled.

Once ryan was gone the girl talked about everything from what happened in her PT to school. When it came to boys Sharpay paused. She then told Gabby about Troy, she sucked in her breath when she heard Troy was blind. "I'd hate to think of a guy with his whole life ahead of him being blind," Gabby said.

"His blindness may not be permanent. His doctors aren't sure yet."

"That's a relief." Gaby tipped her chin forward and studied Sharpay thoughtfully. "Do you like him?"

"Of course I like him. Why wouldn't I? "

"No, I mean 'Like' him, like him." Sharpay blushed under her best friends scrutiny.

"Oh My God, you do! Don't you?"

"Oh come on gabby I hardly know the guy. I mean we've only had like two conversations."

"So what? I knew I liked your brother the first time I laid eyes on him" she said dreamily.

"Well, Troy's never laid eyes on me. And believe me, if I have my way about it, he never will."

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ok so theres this song i love called 'She Loves Everybody' by Chester French check it out.

so what do you think so far? i'll update soon please keep up with the reviews they help me keep going, knowing you guys are all readin the story :)

Peace

Rachel :)


	6. Chapter 5

That evening Sharpay had just finished her dinner when her phone ran. "It's me," Troy said.

Her pulse fluttered crazily. "Hello, me."

"I dialed the phone just like you taught me. Got it right on the first try."

"I applaud, but I'm holding the receiver." He laughed.

"Doing anything?"

"Counting the flowers on the wallpaper."

"Want to come visit me?" her heart skipped a beat. "Sure. Let me grab my crutches and hop over." He wanted to be with her! She forced herself to calm down. After, all he was trapped in the hospital and didn't have anything else to do. Plus he'd never seen her face.

She went to his room and found him sitting in a vinyl armchair at the small table in the corner of his private room. "You've made progress. You're out of bed."

"Yeah. You missed all the excitement. I spilled my lunch tray all over the floor my mom was just walking in the room when it happened and she pitched a fit because no one was helping me. I told her that nurses were busy and I shouldn't have gotten impatient, besides I don't like begin fed like some kind of baby."

Sharpay was sympathetic to his feelings. She said, "being helpless and feeling helpless are different things."

"Exactly. Anyways, mom nailed my doctor and he sent someone who works with the visually impaired to see me. She taught me some things about how to negotiate in a seeing world."

"Like what?"

"Come sit over here and I'll show you. "She watching him fumble for another chair. "I'll get it," I said.

"No." his voice was firm. "I need to learn how to handle things like this."

Slowly, he caught the arm of the second chair, stood and pulled it out from the table. His movements looked choppy, but he did get the chair for her. she lay her crutches aside and sat down, propping her broken leg on another chair. "I'm impressed," she said. "Last time a guy pulled a chair out for me was in seventh grade." She didn't add that it had been done as a cruel joke. As the boy pulled it out, he'd turned to his friends and said "freak alert." They'd laugh and she'd felt humiliated.

"Okay, so I might not have offered if I wasn't trying to show off." Troy Admitted.

"I'm glad you've learned some things to help you take care of yourself. Nobody likes to feel useless."

"I guess you would understand."

"What do you mean?" she caught her breath. Had someone told him what she looked like?

"Your broken leg. I guess people are always rushing to help you when you want to learn to do things for yourself."

She let out her breath slowly. "That's right. I've had to knock people over with my crutches in order to get them to let me do things for myself."

His brow furrowed, the he smiled. "You're joking."

"Must have not been much of one."

"It's just that it takes me longer to catch on to things because I can't see people's faces and read their expressions."

"I didn't think of that"

"This being blind is hard stuff. My doctors are saying that if the chemicals that burned my eyes were acids, then I have a good chance of recovering my sight. But if they were alkaline, I may never get it back."

"Don't you know what chemicals you used to make the fuel?"

"I've been trying to remember, but my friends and I were mixing a lot of stuff that afternoon." He shook his head. "All I know is that I want to see again. I have to Sharpay I have to."

She heard the passion in his voice. She, too, had felt that same kind of longing, she craved to have a normal appearance, but no amount of wishing for it would restore her looks. Beauty was for other girls. It couldn't belong to Sharpay. "well, until you can," she said cheerfully, "at least you'll know how to manage."

Troy leaned back in his chair, his phone flat against the table. She wondered if touching something made him feel grounded, more connected. "One of the worst parts is being bored," he told her. "TV is a waste. I tried to listen to one of my favorite shows, but I couldn't make sense of it."

"I can see and I can't make sense of most of them."

He rewarded her attempt to lighten his mood with a smile. "I realized that a lot of the shows humor depended on visual gags, on actors' expressions. Anyways, I had a hard time following, so I turned it off."

She had sudden inspiration. "You need to borrow some of my books on tape. You have a cassette player, don't you?"

"Of course from when I was younger."

"Ok so I'll loan you some of my books."

"What kind of books?" he sounded skeptical. "Not romance, I hope."

She giggled. "I have those, but I won't force them on you. I also have mysteries, thrillers, fantasies…in fact, if you have any lit books you need to read for school, I could probably find a few of those titles too. Sort of like cliffs notes for the ears."

He laughed. "How about chemistry and physics books?"

"Get a grip. I'm talking about entertainment here, not instant tranquilizer."

"You wouldn't mind loaning me some of your tapes?"

"I offered, didn't I? You'll like them, and listening to them will take you right put of this place."

"You can't image just how much I'd like to be out of here." She recalled wishing the same thing when she was going through her facial operation. Once they told her that removing the malignant tumor would leave her face deformed, all she wanted to do was run away, escape. She said to Troy, "Don't you wish you had the power to turn back time? To go back to before you accident and start fresh and avoid the things that led up to it?"

"Yes," he said his voice barely a whisper. "I can't believe how much you understand stuff, Sharpay. It's as if you can read my mind."

"It's easier to understand something once you experienced it."

"You mean about your leg? Like you'd turn back the clock to before your accident and not do the same dumb stunt that led to breaking it?"

She was referring to her sense of loss over her looks, but of course he had no way of knowing about that. "Sure, I mean my leg. Who wants a broken leg with an infection in it?"

"And if I could start over with that rocket fuel, I would do things differently; I'd at least have put safety glasses on."

"Why don't you leave rocket-fuel concocting to NASA?"

She gazed at him in open admiration. Troy was tall good-looking, easygoing and, more likely popular…just the type of she'd always sneak peeks at in the halls at school. Just the type of boy who'd never notice her existence. Or worse, turn away in revulsion once he saw her face. But here, in the hospital, with his eyes bandaged, the scales of social acceptance were balanced. He couldn't loathe what he couldn't see. She could be at ease with what she couldn't change.

"Sharpay? Are you ok?"

She started. She'd been so deep in her thoughts, she'd forgotten they'd been in the middle of a conversation. "Whoops…sorry. I guess I had a temporary brain freeze. My mind wandered." She whistled snapped her fingers, and called, "Here, mind, here mind, come back now."

Troy broke in laughter "You're so funny. Most girls I know don't crack jokes like you do. Give me your hand."

"I'm still using it," she kidded, but held her hand out toward him. He reached, caught hers. "There, that's better," she said.

She stared fascination at their entwined fingers. "How you mean?"

"I wanted to touch you. Hold on to you. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," she said, hoping the word hadn't tumbled out as fast as her heart had begun to beat. "I mean its fine with me."

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"How personal? My IQ is closely guarded secret."

Caught off guard, Sharpay was momentarily speechless. No one had ever asked her that question before.

"Um…not really."

He smiled. "That's good."

She squirmed self-consciously before realizing that he couldn't see her discomfort. "How about you?" she asked boldly, not sure she wanted to hear his answer.

"Any special girl?"

He shook his head. "Basically I'm shy," he said " I can't ever get up the courage to talk to girls. My tongue gets all tied in knots and I come off sounding like a jerk."

She found his confession hard to believe. "You don't seem shy to me, you talk to me."

"You're different."

If only you knew how different, she thought. She asked, "So, what makes me different?"

"I don't know exactly. But when you wondered into my room and started talking to me, I knew you were different. You really understand what this is like for me…this…being blind."

"I know it's got to be tough."

"My doctors keep preparing me for being impaired. And so did the woman who worked with me this afternoon. Even if my sight comes back, it probably won't ever be the same."

Sharpay didn't know what to tell him. She didn't want to think his situation was hopeless, but she didn't want to ignore the seriousness of it either. "Well, don't dwell on the downside. Just work hard at becoming self-sufficient. It'll make waiting around for outcome easier."

He squeezed he hand. "You have a way of saying the right thing to me." Sudden;y he pushed back from the table. "What time is it?"

Sharpay glanced at the clock on the wall. "Almost seven." She was amazed at the how the time had flown since they'd been together.

"Why?"

"My parents are coming any minute now. I want you to meet them."

Panic gripped her. She couldn't let them see her. "Oh, I can't" she grabbed for her crutches.

"But why not? What else is there to do around this place?"

She thought fast. "Sophie," she said struggling to her feet. "Remember, she's got surgery tomorrow and I've got to go visit her and make sure she's all right."

He nodded in understanding.

Sharpay bolted for the door, moving as fast as she could on her crutches, afraid to glance down the hall toward the elevators in case Troy's parents might be headed her way. Afraid they might see the girl with the twisted face leaving their son's room and ask questions about someone he thought was normal.


	7. Chapter 6

i don't own anything except Sohpie...hope you like it Review please

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Sharpay didn't visit Sophie because her friend's room was crowded with relatives. So she marked time in the visitor's lounge, keeping her head ducked so that her long blonde hair would help conceal the left side of her face. When it was after nine o'clock, she cautiously returned to her room and quickly shut the door. She called Sophie and said she'd be pulling for her during her surgery.

"You still friends with Troy?" Sophie asked. She'd been given medication to help her sleep and her voice sounded slurry.

"We talked a couple of hours tonight."

"That's nice. Did you mention your face?"

"No way. I'm enjoying him thinking I'm a regular girl."

"Someday he might see you."

"Not if I can help it. Think about it. Once my infection clears up, I'll go home and he'll make new friends with someone else. If he' even still here."

"So you won't see him again when he's out of the hospital?" Sophie's voice drifted.

"No," Sharpay said. "I wont see or talk to him again." She paused, sensing that Sophie was fading fast. "Go on to sleep," she told her. "I'll see you as soon as they put you back in your room."

"'Honesty is the best policy.'" Sophie mumbled.

"What?"

"My…grandfather says…that…" Sharpay sighed. "I'm changing the policy. Good night."

She hung up and lay staring at the ceiling until the nurse came and hook her up for her evening dose of antibiotic. With her thoughts on Troy, she drifted into a dreamless sleep long before the medicine was finished dripping.

The next morning Sharpay gave several her books on tape to Troy. "Can you stay?" he asked.

"I'm on my way to physical therapy." She was feeling guilty. Maybe Sophie was right. Maybe she should tell him everything.

"Can we talk later?"

"I don't want you to get sick of me."

"It's all right if I do. We're in a hospital."

The gauze pads concealing his eyes made it difficult to know if he was teasing. "It's a good thing I have a sense of humor," she offered cautiously.

He smiled. "I made a joke and you caught on to it. I'm getting better at this humor stuff, huh?"

"Don't let it go to your head, buster." She said goodbye and went out into the hall, where an orderly took her down in a wheelchair for her PT appointment.

Once her session was over, Sharpay returned to her floor and asked about Sophie at the nurses' station. "She came through with flying colors," a nurse told her. "She's down in recovery, and we expect she'll be sent up here by late afternoon. But no visitors except family today."

"No problem," Sharpay said, feeling greatly relieved that Sophie had done well.

"By the way, "the nurse said "your lunch tray's been delivered to Troy Bolton's Room. He told us you knew all about it."

She didn't, but faked it with the nurse and hobbled down the hall to Troy's room. He was sitting as the table, his tray in front of him. Another covered tray had been placed on the table facing an empty chair. "Are you eating lunch and mine too?" she asked.

"Sharpay! Come sit. I thought we could have lunch together. I had to make the nurse think you had preapproved the idea. Do you mind?"

How could she mind eating lunch with a guy like Troy? "Your company's much better than the exercise lady on TV at noon." She propped up her crutches and sat down.

"What is this stuff?" She asked, lifting the lid. "It looks like road kill."

"It tastes all right. Soup's good."

She watched him encircle the soup bowl with one hand, pick up the spoon, keeping it low, lean far over the warm bowl, and ladle soup into his mouth. She felt grateful all over again that she had her eyesight. "Not bad," she told him.

"The soup or my table manners?" he asked.

"The way you maneuver," she explained.

"The soup's dreary."

He laughed. "I've been practicing hard at learning how to feel myself. Every meal, I spill less and less. You know I'm feeling brave if I got up the nerve to invite you to lunch with me."

"You seem to have a knack for it. Feeding yourself, I mean."

"The therapist taught me to touch all the foods first, position it on the tray so that I'd know exactly where everything was, and keep my hands low when I come at it. It works."

Fascinated, she watched him for another minute. She's been taught that it wasn't polite to stare, and she hated it when people stared at her, but Troy couldn't see her studying him, so she didn't think she was being rude.

"I'm still not very fast eating, though," he apologized. "It's made me realize how quickly I scarfed down my food before."

"Don't we all," Sharpay said.

"So how's Sophie doing?"

"I hear she's doing fine, but it'll be another day before I check on her personally."

"What're you doing tomorrow?"

She stirred her fork through a gloppy mound of mashed potatoes. "Well, after I checkout the Saturday morning cartoons, my parents are coming to visit from Europe."

They are only coming for the weekend?"

"Yea, but they'd stay longer if I was in a worse condition though." Sharpay explained.

"They own hotel's all over the world, so they aren't around very much, but on the weekends they come home to visit." Sharpay didn't mention her brother to him, since he's always with gabby.

"What's the name of the hotels?" Troy asked "I'll drop by and see you when this is all behind me."

She didn't want him doing that. She had meant what she's told Sophie…once she was out of the hospital, she didn't want to run into Troy again…whether or not he could see. The hospital acted as a safe harbor, a place where they were on equal footing. Reluctantly she told him the name of the hotel, telling her if he'd ever stop by, she could tell everyone that she wasn't there. Then soon he'd stop coming.

"So how do you like the books on tape?"

"There great, they pull you in and you forget about the world." he then said. "When I read, it's chemistry and physics. Quantum theory. Stuff like that."

"oh, well that side on my brain doesn't work," Sharpay said with a laugh. "I'm a total waste when it comes to math and science, but u guess you have a reason for that."

He nodded. "I want to attend AIT…Albuquerque Institute of Technology… and take up engineering and maybe someday work for NASA. The one thing I've always wanted to do was learn how to fly a plane. I have an uncle who owns a small plane. He operates a business flying around real estate agents and advertising banners." **AN: this is an IMPORTANT detail. **

"I've seen those signs. They say eat at Joe's and stuff like that."

"He's busy during football season flying UT stadiums with ad messages; he takes me up with him sometimes. He's even let me man the controls." Suddenly he grew quiet. "I want to be a pilot. At least I did. Until this happened."

He sounded so despondent that Sharpay was sorry she'd opened the door to the conversation. "I want to go to the Chicago Art institute," she inserted quickly, hoping to get his thoughts off his situation. "Who knows, maybe I'll shake up the fashion industry with me innovative designs." She emphasized the last to make it sound comical, like words from a TV commercial.

"I'd ask to see your work but…" Troy said with out humor.

Sharpay regretted her remark. Trying to cheer him up backfired. "it's not much to see, really. Let's talk about something else."

"Why not? Talking seems like all I can do."

She stabbed her fork into a piece of chocolate cake on her food try. "We could talk about dessert, "she said. "It's chocolate and maybe older then both our combined ages."

He offered a half smile, but pushed his tray away. "I'm not hungry anymore. Everything's could by now anyway."

"It's because I got you talking instead of concentrating on lunch."

"It's because I'm blind," he blurted. "It isn't fair!" He shoved the tray again, and Sharpay had to grab at it to keep it from skidding off the table.

"I…I'm sorry," she sad softly. He was breathing hard and she wasn't sure if he might want to cry. "I know it isn't fair, but sometimes we just have to live with what can't be changed."

"How would you know? All you have is a broken leg. Bones heal."

Of course she couldn't tell him how she knew. "I should be going," she said, reaching for her crutches. "Time for my afternoon antibiotic hookup."

He said nothing.

She headed for the door, the rubber tips of her crutches speaking on the floor. She paused at the doorway and gazed back at him. "Bye."

"Bye," he said without moving.

Brilliant afternoon sunlight played across his golden brown hair and spilled across his gauze-bandaged eyes. But she knew that inside the bandages, he was alone in the dark. And there was nothing she could do about it. Not one single thing.

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so what did you think? it makes me sad that Troy is depressed what about you? how does it make you feel? how do you feel about Sharpays disfigured face? for those who are my reaccuing reviews for both storys well actually all ,my storys i'm going to take a week off and paint my laundry room Purple...and i'm changing my bedroom back home in the keys what color should i paint it? i was thinking like a Dark purple or a lavander or something i like purple so any thing purple will do what do you think???? let me know... when i finish the laundry room i'll post pictures up so oyu can see them much love

Peace,

Rachel


	8. Chapter 7

I'm so so so sorry i haven't updated in a long time... i was so busy with my parents coming to see me.. then i went home for my spring vacation. just got back and finish writing this today. next going to start back on Barenaked Sharpay i haven't started the next chapter yet. i will today. R&R please :)

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On Saturday morning Sharpay's parents came to visit, weighted with a bag of books on tapes. "Your doctor says you'll probably be out of here early next week," he father said after kissing her on the forehead. "He says you're responding well to the antibiotics, and according to your x rays, your leg looks to be healing properly."

"Good. I'm ready to blow this place." Sharpay joked, but she knew she's miss Sophie and Troy. Most of all Troy.

"Of course, you'll still have to come in for physical therapy," her mother said. "But that can be an outpatient."

"My therapist seems to think I can drive so I can bring myself in for the sessions. No need for you or dad to take off from work."

"Ryan can bring you."

"Sure…my brother's going to cut into his social life to usher me to therapy three times a week," Sharpay was thinking about Ryan's red-hot romance with Gabriella.

"He can just rearrange his priorities," Sharpay's mother said. "Your leg is more important that and of his extracurricular activities."

"Mom, it's no big deal," Sharpay insisted. "I can drive myself."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he father said. "No use arguing about it now. Let's get you out of the hospital and home first."

Sharpay shrugged. Her dad was right. Why argue now? There was plenty of time to arguer later. "So, how are things at the hotels?"

"Well we are decorating them for Valentines Day," her mother said. "We rearranged the main lobby and made it look all pink and red. And Fulton had all you star dazzle awards in pink and red so it matches the theme."

"Anyways," he mother continued "with redoing the lobby with white ribbons and lace and cute little Victorian cupids. And of the posters of famous romance's to also go with the theme."

"My favorite holiday," Sharpay muttered unkindly under her breath.

"Valentine's Day is a wonderful holiday," he mother said, glancing at her husband, who gave him a wink.

Sure, Sharpay thought. If you're normal. Frankly she'd always thought some sadist invented it. Valentines and syrupy sentiments of love were a cruel joke. She'd learned early on that valentines cards only went to pretty, popular girls. Ryan's girlfriend practically waded a hip deep in them every year. "The best thing about Valentines Day is that boxes of chocolate are half price on the day after," Sharpay said.

Her father laughed. "I see you haven't lost your wit."

"I don't want to be witless," she quipped making him laugh again.

Her parents stayed until late afternoon, then hugged her goodbye and left. Once they were gone she considered herself fortunate to have such supportive parents. All during her ordeal with the cancerous tumor, they had been by her side, and when she'd been permanently disfigured, they'd sent her to counselors and did everything possible to help her adjust to her lifelong disfigurement and build up self-esteem.

She was deep in thought, when someone rapped on her door.

"It's open," she called.

Troy entered her room, feeling his way cautiously along the wall as he went.

She scrambled toward him, wincing in pain over the sudden movement, but fearful that he might bump into something. "Let me help," she blurted.

"I can manage," he said. "Just tell me if anything's in my path."

"My room's exactly like yours," Sharpay told him. "Just flip-flopped." She watched him inch closer. "Does a nurse know you're trying to navigate on your own?"

"I didn't think I needed a guide. Or a re-tipped cane just yet."

Eventually he made it to the small table near her window, where he groped for a chair. She itched to help him, but sat quietly, since she knew he wanted her to. When he was finally seated, she let out a deep breath. "You're here," she said.

He grinned, his expression looking pleased. "Maybe I'm not so helpless after all." He rubbed his shins. "A little black and blue maybe, but not helpless."

"To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday."

"You were angry. I understood."

"I didn't have to take it out on you."

"I didn't take it personally…honest."

He shifted in his chair and leaned forward, holding out his hand in gesture that asked her to take hold of it. Heart pounding, she slid her hand into his. "I…I think you're a really nice person, Sharpay. I can't imagine how I could have made it these past days with out your help."

"That's me. Sharpay the Helpful One. How do you suppose that translates in Chinese?" she was babbling, but couldn't stop herself. She felt totally flustered by his sincerity. Absolutely unsettled by his attention.

"Um…I'd really like to ask you something."

"You can ask."

"I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything"

"this must be serious." She tried to sound lighthearted, but her palms were sweating. She hoped her hand didn't slip out of his.

"Not too serious." He tipped his head and his brown hair spilled over the gauze wrapped around his forehead. "I've just been wondering what you look like and I haven't a clue as to what you look like."

Her heart wedged in her throat. How should she answer him? "I look like a girl," she finally said. "hair, arms, legs…the usual stuff."

He laughed, but she hadn't meant it to be funny. She didn't want to be discussing her looks with him. A sudden thought unnerved her. What if one of the nurses had alluded to the fact that she was bless than perfect-looking? That something was wrong with her?

"But tell me about yourself. Are you tall, short athletic? What color's your hair and your eyes? I'm not trying for your vital statistics, just a mental picture."

"Well…" she drew out the word, stalling for time. "What do you think I look like?"

"That's not fair. No matter how I describe you, you can agree or disagree, whether it's true or not."

"I won't. Tell me, what's your mental image of me?"

He squirmed, and she knew she'd put him on the spot. But he'd put her on the spot too. "All I have to go on is your voice."

"How does my voice make me sound?"

"Your voice makes you sound friendly. And nice." He appeared more comfortable with this third-person approach…this pretense that he voice was a separate personality.

"And about the color of my hair? Can my voice give you a clue about that?"

"Dark Brown?"

"Blonde."

"Straight?"

"Wavy. But I can make it straight."

"Long?"

"Long," she confirmed. "And what color does my voice say my eyes are?"

"Um…Blue?"

"Brown."

"I like brown eyes. My favorite color." He grinned gleefully, caught up in the game. "Oh, puh-lease…" she drawled dramatically.

"You don't believe me? It's true. In the first grade I had a crush on a girl named Anna Lopez. She had the most beautiful eyes."

"Fine. Sit there and talk about another girl in front of me." Sharpay pretended to be miffed.

She didn't fool him. Troy laughed and said, "She was only six!"

"I forgive you."

"I'll bet you're tall."

"Only five foot three. I'd never make the basketball team."

"That's alright. I'm good enough for the both of us." He toyed with her fingers still nestled in his hand. "I'll bet your thin too."

"Average."

"There's nothing average about you, Sharpay."

She felt her face blush crimson. If only he knew about unaverage she really was. "So now are you satisfied? Do you have a picture of me?"

"Sort of."

"Well, here's what I learned about you, mister." She said poking him playfully with her forefinger. "You're attracted to tell willowy dark hair girls with Blue eyes and straight hair. I on the other hand, am a not so tall blonde with brown eyes and wavy hair."

"Wow all wrong, that's bad." He said.

She thought the fact he got the all wrong, he'd remember he was blind. "it's ok doesn't matter."

He sat still, his face turned fully toward her. For an eerie moment she thought he might be able to see through his bandages.

"What now? She asked

"There's another way I could satisfy my curiosity a little bit. If you're willing, that is."

"How?"

"You could let me touch your face. You know explore it with my fingers."

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uh oh whats going to happen? will she let him touch her face? will he find out about her disfigured face? let me know what you think..


	9. Attnetion!

Hey does anyone what to help make a trailer for my I'll be seeing you and my barenaked Sharpay stories? Lets me know my youtube is SeBabGr21 so send me a message saying you made one or send me a message :)

plus i will update as soon as i can


	10. Chapter 8

Troy wanted to touch her face. But if he did, he'd know for certain something was wrong. Sharpay got an instant picture of his fingers tracing along the caved in area between he left eye and nose and recoiling in horror. He'd ask, _"What's wrong with you?" _and she'd have to hell him that she was a freak. That just like humpty dumpty, all the plastic surgeons and medical geniuses couldn't out Sharpay Evans back together again.

"I know you're still here." Troy said, "Because I'm still holding your hand. What's wrong did I upset you?"

"No," she said, a little too quickly. "I had a shooting pain in my leg. I was gritting my teeth until it went away."

With those words Sharpay realized that she'd crossed a subtle barrier. Before, she'd simply avoided telling him the truth by not divulging certain details. Now she's told him two outright lies. Truthfully she was upset, and there was no pain in her leg.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought maybe I'd offended you by asking to touch your face. I don't know why I asked. Maybe because the woman from blind services encouraged me to explore the world with my sense of touch. She said it would help me 'see' things. Forget it."

"It's all right. I…I really don't mind." _Another lie_! "But you know what I think would be better?"

"What?"

"I think it would be better to wait until you can actually see my face for yourself.

Yes, that's what I want. I want to greet you face-to-face once your bandages come off."

He didn't say a word right away. He only held her hand and brushed his thumb repeatedly across her knuckles. "Even when the bandages come off, there's no guarantee I'll be able to see again."

"But I think you will," she insisted. "And because I think so, I want you to wait until you can see me with your own eyes,"

"And if I can't?"

"Then you can touch away."

He slumped back in the chair.

She disliked bringing Troy mood from happy to glum; it wasn't a nice way to treat him. But she'd been desperate to take his mind off the idea of exploring he face with his touch. What a disaster it would have been. She didn't understand why it was so important to her that he maintain his illusion about her looks, but it was.

"Do you know what?" she asked brightly. "The orderly will be in a minute to take me down to PT." she told him another lie she wasn't scheduled for another PT session until Monday morning.

"I'll go back to my room." Troy stood

"Let me walk with you."

"How? You're on crutches, remember?"

"We'll manage."

"Then let me take your elbow and follow about a half step behind. That's the way I was taught to have someone lead me."

Sharpay let him grasp her elbow and slowly she began to take small steps with her crutches so that he could keep up. Back in his room again, he climbed into the bed. "I think I'll listen to another one of those books you loaned me. I'm not much good at doing anything but listening."

"I have more," she said, eager to make up for any distress she might have caused him. "Mom and dad brought me a bunch of new ones today."

"Will you come visit me later?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"My parents are coming this afternoon. I'd like for them to meet you."

"Um…all right," she declared, knowing full well that she'd find something to keep her busy and away for her room, grateful to be out of her awkward situation. How had she gotten herself into this mess? Was it wrong of her to want to protect herself from his discovering what she really looked like? Was it wrong to want him to believe that she was normal, even pretty?

Later, when she figured Troy parents might be on their way up, Sharpay went to visit Sophie. The girl was still recovering from her surgery, but fortunately she was alone in her room. IVs hung by her bed, and tubes leading from her stomach were partially concealed by bedcovers.

"For drainage," she explained to Sharpay,

"Are you in pain?" Sharpay might have felt revulsion if she hadn't been through so much medical trauma herself.

"Not much," Sophie said. Her voice sounded soft and she spoke slowly, but at least she was lucid. She nodded toward a small machine next to her bed with its IV line threaded into her arm. "Morphine dispenser," she said "If I start to hurt too bad, can make the drip faster."

"How long before you're able to get up?"

"Don't know." Sophie's closed, but soon opened again. "Talk to , take my mind off this stuff."

Sharpay told her about Troy's visit and him wanting to touch her face.

"Wow," Sophie mumbled. "Close call."

"Tell me about it. It's getting harder and harder to keep my secret."

"What if he asks one of the nurses about you?"

"Don't think I'm not worried about it. But they're professionals. So if one does tell him about me, I hope she'll be kind and wont say, 'Sharpay? You mean the dog-faced girl?'"

Sophie grimaced. "No one would ever say that about you."

"You're wrong, Sophie. Someone did say it."

"Who?'

"Jon, My brother's friend."

"That's so mean!"

Sharpay patted Sophie's arm. "Don't get worked up about it. It happened months ago. I was cutting through the gym school and I heard some guys talking and heard one of them mention Ryan's name. Naturally I stopped and eavesdropped. They were telling Jon how lucky he was that Ryan wasn't disfigured like I was. And too bad that he had a sister like me. Then Jon said yea…Sharpay has a dog-face.'

Then I heard a couple of guys make barking noise and Jon say, 'Man, I can hardly stand to look at her, she's so ugly'. I stopped listening then. I ran out of there as fast as I could and didn't cry until I got home, but to this day I can't stand to be around Jon."

Sophie's eye grew wide as Sharpay talked. "Did you ever tell Ryan?"

"'Course not. It's too babyish to whine to my brother. What am I going to say 'Ry, your best friend called me dog-faced.' I need to be tough Sophie. Kids are always saying mean things. They don't know what it's like to look at this face in the mirror every day. People who are normal haven't got a clue about how badly words hurt. Worse than rocks sometimes."

Sophie nodded. "Why can't people understand that no one likes being different. But people who are different still have feelings."

Sharpay realized that Sophie, most of all, understood what she was saying. All her life Sophie would be confined to a wheelchair. She was simply somebody that medical science couldn't make normal. A lump of tears lodged in Sharpay's throat. Tears for Sophie. Tears for herself.

"I've been trying to figure out why I've let this whole thing with Troy get out of hand," Sharpay said slowly. "I mean, why didn't I just come clean with him from the beginning? You told me to." Tears swam in her eyes.

"What do I know?" Sophie said offered a smile.

"You knew more than me. I guess it was just so nice to have a boy like me. And he liked me in spite of the way I looked. And now I can't seem to stop pretending with him."

"You could if you wanted to."

Sharpay shook her head. "No I don't want to. I keep thinking that soon I'll get out if here and get back to my life."

"But once he gets out, he might come looking for you."

"But if he can't ever see me, it wont matter."

Sophie blinked. "Do you heart what you're saying, Sharpay? It's almost as if you don't want him to get his eyesight back again."

Sharpay bowed her head. What Sophie said was true. She dreaded Troy regaining his vision. And yet it was wrong to wish him confined to lifetime of darkness simply because she didn't want him knowing she was disfigured. "He's the first guy who

S ever been nice to me, Sophie. The only one since before I was twelve."

"And you don't think he'll be nice to you once he knows what you look like?"

"No," Sharpay said miserably. "I live in the real world. and in the real world guys don't stick around for girls who look like me."

***

Just before bedtime Sharpay's phone rang.

"Where were you tonight?" Troy's voice sounded hurt. "I told you my folks were coming and that I wanted you to meet them. Why did you run off?"

"I went to visit Sophie. I hadn't seen here since her surgery and I didn't want her to think I'd forgotten about her," she explained quickly/

"Oh." His voice lost its edginess. "How's she doing?"

"Pretty good."

"Sharpay, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just that I've been talking about you to my friends and parents a lot. I've been telling them about the terrific girl I've met and they want to meet you too. Except that you're never around, so everybody thinks you're a figment of my imagination. Or worse, that I'm a liar."

Recalling Sophie's admonition to come clean with Troy, Sharpay took a deep breath. "Troy, I think we should talk, I need to tell you something."

"Can you tell me tomorrow? The nurse just gave me a sleeping pill," he said stifling a yawn.

"Sure… tomorrow's fine." She felt relieved. She really didn't want to confess everything tonight.

"Listen, my two best friends are coming tomorrow afternoon and I them to meet you."

She wondered if this fetish of his to introduce her to his friends and family was ever going to end. "You're putting me on the spot, Troy."

"Why? Just because I want my friends to meet the person who's making this whole ordeal bearable for me?

She didn't know what to tell him and she didn't want to argue about it on the phone either. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he said, sounding drowsy. "But I promise we'll be next door to see you, so don't run off. Because if you do, we'll go looking for you if we have to search every floor of the hospital."

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So what do you think??? it took me awhile to finish since i have my last final thursday, then i go home YAY!!! anyways keep up with the Reviews i love them they keep me going :) plus i heard this song by kelly clarkson "I do not hook up" check it out on youtube if you haven't already i just love the song :) well Review tell me if you liked it. i'll up date soon


	11. Chapter 9

Hey Sorry it's been awhile since i updated i've been busy, also i was tryin to finish the other chapter in Barenaked Sharpay. but i'm going to finish this one then move on to finish barenaked Sharpay, then start my HEARTBREAK RIVER Story. well hope you like this chapter.

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"You want what? Are you out of your mind?"

Sharpay bit her lip, not wanting to lash out at Gabby, who stood in the hospital room wearing an incredulous expression. "Don't get all hyper on me," she said as smoothly as possible. "I'm not asking you to rob a bank or anything."

"It's a dumb idea, Sharpay, and I won't do it. I won't pretend to be you!"

Gabby's stubbornness was testing Sharpay's patience. Didn't her brothers girlfriend realize she was desperate? And that desperate times call for desperate measures?

Sharpay had come up with the scheme late the night before and called gabby firs thing Sunday morning. "Please come see me right away," she begged. "Don't even go to church first just come straight here."

But when Gabby arrived and Sharpay revealed her plan for what she wanted Gabby to do later in the afternoon, Gabby adamantly refused. Sharpay glared at her friend whose chin jutted out obstinately. "I never ever ask you for a favor, and the one time I do, you act as if I asked you to murder somebody."

This is more than a favor, Sharpay. It's an out-and-out lie. I can't pretend to be you just so that you can impress some boy."

"This isn't some stupid kid prank, you know. I have good reasons for Troy's friends to think that you're me. Troy and I've become good friends. I really like him and I don't want his friends to tell him that I'm some kind of freak."

"You're not a freak!" Gabby stamped he foot. "And if anyone says you are, I'll deck'em."

"Thanks for the show of loyalty." Sharpay sighed. "But I can deck people if I choose to. The one thing I can't do is look normal. You're my best friend and I need you to help me out here."

"You really like this guy?"

Sharpay nodded bigorously. Was her best friend about to cave in?

"Then be honest with him. Tell him about yourself; he'll understand."

Sharpay exploded with "That's easy for you to say. You've never had people stare at you. Or call you names. Don't you see? I don't want to take the chance that he'll understand.' I want him to think I'm pretty. And if his friends meet you, then that's exactly what Troy will think."

Unable to look Sharpay straight in the eye, Gabby sagged into nearby chair and glanced down at the floor. "This is emotional blackmail."

"No. it's a favor. From one friend to another."

Suddenly Gabby sat upright, a gleam in her eye. "There is this small thing of your broken leg. Or do you expect me to throw myself down the stairwell?"

"I've already thought about that." Sharpay said, holding her hand. "If you roll into Troy's room in a wheelchair with you leg stretched out and a blanket over your lap, no one will know that your leg isn't broken. Troy's friends will see a pretty girl who says that her arms were hurting from using crutches. And Troy won't see anything at all. I'm telling you, Gabby; this will work if you put a little effort into it."

"What will work?"

Both girls whipped around in the direction of the voice that had interrupted their discussion.

"Ryan!" Gabby jumped up from the chair and went toward him. "What are you doing here?"

"I got to church and your mother said you came to see my sister instead, so I left and came to visit my sister and see you. So what's going on?" he said looking at both girls.

Sharpay groaned and flopped back onto her pillow. Just what she needed her bother to ruin her plan. And just when she almost had Gabby persuade.

"What's up is that your sister has some harebrained idea about me impersonating her for this guy she's met in the next room."

Ryan looked confused.

"He's temporarily blind," Sharpay interjected, none too kindly. "So he's never seen my face, and most likely never will. But his friends are coming to visit him this afternoon and he wants them to meet me and see what a 'babe' I am. But we all know that's not the case, don't we?"

Ryan's face colored, but he still shook his head. "I don't want any guy coming onto my girl." His arm snaked around gabby's waist possessively

"Oh, puh-lease…." Sharpay rolled her eyes dramatically. "Think of it as a temporary loan."

"Even Gabby looked exasperated with him. "Cut the Neanderthal routine, Ryan. I'm a person, not your property."

"But you're my girl!"

"But Sharpay's my best friend and your sister."

"You're not seriously thinking about doing this, are you? Ryan sounded angry.

"What if I am?" now Gabby was on the defensive, Sharpay decided to keep quiet and let the two of them argue it out. Maybe Ryan's attitude was just the push? Gabby needed to send her into Sharpay's camp on issue.

"Because it's dumb, that's why."

"Yes, it's dumb but Sharpay's my Best friend and you're her brother, let me just do this for her, she wants my help."

"If my sister asked you to jump in front of a moving car, would you do it?"

"That is so lame. Just the kind of thing you'd tell a two-year-old. Which I'm not!" Gabby whirled around and started for the door. "I'm going to buy myself a coke. Cool off, Ryan!"

She grabbed her purse and flounced out the door. Ryan Glared after her. "Why can't you just let her do this? It's not going to kill you that she pretends to be me."

"You don't get it, people will think she's not her, they'll just think she's you when they see her walking down the streets or something."

"Well I'm sorry, but it's up to Gabby not you to decide if she wants to help me or not." Sharpay told her brother with a lot of anger.

"I really care for gabby. She means the world to me. Are you going to try and ruin us?"

Sharpay felt a sense of power and for a minute wanted to see her brother squirm, but the feeling passed when she remembered how badly she needed gabby's help. No use causing a scene simply to get revenge. "Wreaking people's lives isn't my style," she told him. "But I would appreciate a good word from you. It would help this deal go down much more easily."

Before he could respond, Gabby swept back into the room, a can of diet cola in her hand. "The vending machine hardly had anything good." She grumbled.

Ryan took a deep breath and steeped in front of her. "I've been thinking while you were gone.

Sharpay resisted the urge blurt, "That's what you smell burning-Ryan's brain."

"I think you should help Sharpay"

Gabby glanced from Ryan to Sharpay and back again to Ryan. "I was gone less then ten minutes. How did she persuade you so quickly? Especially when she's been working me for an hour."

" I overreacted. What she wants is really sort of harmless." He glanced to Sharpay. "Sort of like wearing a mask for Halloween. This guy will be happy. Sharpay will be happy. No one will know it's you. And then that's the end of it."

Sharpay ignored her brothers' bad humor and nodded eagerly. "I told you, Gabs, it'll only take a few minutes, and you don't ever have to do it again.

Gabby's shoulders drooped. "I hate it when people gang up on me. Especially people I care about."

Sharpay felt a twist of guilt and vowed she'd make it up to gabs sometime. "I'll be grateful forever."

Her phone rang and she grabbed the recever. It was Troy. "Hi." She said cheerfully.

"You're in your room."

"You sound surprised."

"You usually run off."

"Now, now." She chided.

"Listen, my friends Chad and Jason are here. They were cohorts in my famous rocket-fuel stunt, except they didn't get hurt. Anyways we want to come by and say hello."

"Don't do that!" Sharpay cut her eyes to Ryan and Gabby, tuck the receiver beneath her chin, and pointed frantically at the wheel chair she'd confiscated earlier from the nurses station. "What I mean is, why don't I come to your room? It's a mess here I don't want strange boys around." Gabby rolled her eyes. "I can be there in five minutes," Sharpay added, ignoring Gabby.

"Sure, no problem," Troy told her. "Come soon."

"I can't stay long," she warned. " I have visitors coming too, and I want to be in my room when they arrive."

"No problem. Stay ten minutes. Stay an hour. I only want my friends to meet you." She heard a smile in his voice. "I only want them to meet the most special girl in the whole world."

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i realized that one part i messed up cause i had to rewrite it to make ryan sound like her brother and not her best friends bf. well let me knwo what you think.


	12. Chapter 10

"I really hate this," Gabby whispered as Ryan helped her into the chair.

"Sharpay limped over with a blanket from off the bed. "But I need you to do it so much. And I'll never forget how you helped me. I'll be grateful forever!" she pumped up the area with a pillow and tossed the blanket across Gabby's lap.

Ryan leaned down and adjusted the footrest so that Gabby could prop her leg in a thrust-out position. "You know how to work one of theses things?"

"I can manage," gabby snapped.

Sharpay fussed with the blanket, making sure to it covered Gabby's lap and leg completely. "Just tell him…"

"I know what to say." Gabby pushed herself toward the door, paused and scowled back at Sharpay and Ryan. "What about my voice? Do you think he'd clever enough to hear a difference?"

Sharpay's stomach tightened. She'd forgotten about her voice. "You can do a pretty good imitation of me. You always did when we were little; remember we played tricks on Ryan and our parents."

"We've grown up since then. At least one of us has anyway."

Sharpay gritted her teeth. Gabby certainly wasn't be agreeable. "You're going to do just fine," she said. "And you'll never know how much this means to me. Never, ever."

Gabby rolled out into the hall while Ryan and Sharpay peeked around the doorframe. When Gabby knocked on Troy's door, Sharpay ducked backward. "She's in," Ryan said.

"Now what?"

"No we loiter in the hall by his door and maybe we can hear something."

Ryan looked at her as if she were nuts, but he tagged along when she hopped out on her crutches. She rested her back on the wall beside Troy's door, and Ryan leaned his shoulder against the wall next to her. she strained to hear through the slightly ajar door, but only snatches of words and mumbles came to her. she whispered, "I sure wish I could hear better."

Ryan arched his eyebrow at her. "If only we'd though to put a tape machine in her lap, she could have gotten the whole conversation."

She flashed him a hateful look. All at once her knees started shaking as it downed on her that she was manipulating people's lives! She was working so hard to protect herself that she was forcing her best friend and brother to conform to her will. And she was deceiving Troy and his friends by misrepresenting herself to them. She felt a wave of guilt and remorse. And fear. If Troy found out about her now, he really would hate her. And she couldn't blame him. But she felt as if she'd gone so far with her charade that she couldn't drop it now. She couldn't tell him the truth at this stage.

Troy's room door swung open and Gabby rolled out in the wheelchair, waving goodbye over her shoulder. Sharpay ducked under Ryan's arm and headed in the opposite direction down the ha;;, fearful that one of Troy's friends might stick his head out the doorway and see her. when she felt it was safe, she returned to her room. "So what happened?"

"Nothing happened. I was charming and sweet."

"Did Troy say anything?"

"He said he'd call me later." Gabby picked up her purse and slipped on her coat. "But of course, he thinks I'm you."

"You don't have to leave yet. We could watch an NBA game on TV, or maybe come old movie." New that the charade was over, Sharpay wanted her best friend to stay. She wanted to get back into Gabby's good graces.

"I've got a lit test tomorrow and I need to study for it." Gabby started for the door with Ryan.

"Gabby." Sharpay called. "Thanks."

Gabby didn't smile. "You're welcome. We'll walk down the stairwell to the ground floor," she said. "Less chance of being seen by Troy's friends."

Then Gabby and Ryan were gone and Sharpay was alone. All alone.

"My friends were suitably impressed. "Troy was eating dinner in Sharpay's room. Their trays were spread out on the small table near the window , and the TV played softly in the background

"That's nice," Sharpay said grateful that he couldn't see how little she was eating. She didn't have much of an appetite tonight.

"what did you think of them?"

She started. Why hadn't she pressed Gabby for more details? "They seemed nice."

"Nice?" Troy cocked his head. "Chad practically fell over your chair. Did he hurt your leg?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Is anything wrong?" his expression looked puzzled.

"No. why do you ask?"

He touched his meatloaf, gave the plate a small turn and cut off a piece with his fork. Sharpay realized he'd become quite adept at feeding himself despite his blindness. "You…um…sounded funny today."

"Funny ha-ha of funny peculiar?" she tried to laugh off his observation, but her heat began to thud.

"I don't' know. Your voice sounded different to me this afternoon. Not like your usual self. I've grown use dot your voice and the way it sound. I like it."

"How does my voice sound?"

"Sort of sexy."

She giggled with pure pleasure. Her voice was hers alone, and he liked it. She didn't have to speak through her best friend's mouth. It was Sharpay's voice Troy heard. "Sexy? Me?"

"That's what I said." He grinned. "When all you have is someone's voice to go on, you notice the smallest change. And today you didn't sound like yourself."

"Um…I had a little allergy attack right before I came by to see you. Maybe that made me sound different."

"Maybe so." He still acted perplexed, but she didn't pursue it and decided to change the topic to get his mind on something else. "So, have you heard how much longer you'll be locked in this place?"

"My doctor hasn't said. How about you?"

"The antibiotic is working fine…no fever for days. I'll get another X ray tomorrow."

"So you maybe leaving sooner than me."

"I've been here for over a week and I'd like to leave. Wouldn't you?"

"Sure." But his tone was hesitant. "It's a little scary, thought, thinking of going outside these walls when I still can't see."

"Will someone be with you when you go home?"

He shook his head. "Both my folks work, so I'll have to be on my own for most of the day. It wouldn't be so bad if I could see. I'm behind in all my schoolwork and I'm in accelerated classes. I'll probably never catch up."

"Are we having a pity party?"

"You're not going to let me feel sorry for myself? Not even just a little?"

"I wont help." Sharpay toyed with her fork. She wasn't being insensitive to his plight, but she knew how senseless it was to sit around complaining about what couldn't be changed life went on whether a person participated in it or not. "But I know how it feels to be swamped with schoolwork. That's enough to give anybody a downer."

"Why don't Chad or Jason tape your class lectures for you? Maybe then you wouldn't fall far behind."

He straightened in the chair. "Why didn't I think of that?" he sounded amazed that something so obvious could have eluded him.

"You don't' have a brain as devious as mine?" she offered playfully.

"Sharpay, that's a great idea. My dad could arrange to have all my classes taped and I can keep up that way. Why, I might even be able to take the test orally."

She tapped his hand. "I charger big bucks for advice, you know."

"I'll pay." They laughed together, but soon Troy grew quiet, thoughtful. "can I tell you something?"

She nodded, the realized that he couldn't see her. "Sure," she said for emphasis.

"I like you."

She felt her mouth go dry. "I like you too."

"Once we both go home, can I call you? Visit with you?'

_As long as your blind,_ she thought, but she said, "Oh gosh, once you get back to regular life, you'll forget all about me."

Troy grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"Not so, Sharpay. I'll never forget you."

She felt a wave of fear. There was no way they could have a relationship once they were both out of the hospital. Sooner or later someone would see her and tell Troy the truth. Certainly there would be no way she could ever persuade Gabby to impersonate her again. How could she put him off without hurting his feelings or telling him more then she ever wanted him to know?

"Why don't we wait and see how things go once we blow this place?"

"You don't want me to keep in touch, do you?" he looked dejected.

"I didn't say that."

"But it's what you meant. Is it because I could be permanently blind? Is it because you don't want to be stuck with a guy who's blind?"

"No way," she started to protest.

Troy interrupted. "Chad and Jason told me how pretty you are. I can't figure out why you don't have a boyfriend, unless you're so beautiful that you can pick anyone you want. If that's the case, I don't stand a chance."

In her heart she longed to tell him that he was handsome, smart, nice…the most wonderful guy she'd ever known. And that having him for a boyfriend would be the greatest thing that ever happened to her. but of course she couldn't. she could never let him know how she truly felt. "I think we should not talk about this stuff," she said quietly. "I think we should have fun right now and not talk about tomorrow."

"But…"

"Please," she begged. "Let's just be friends as long as we're here."

"If that's what you want…" he tried to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"It's what I want."

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Wrote this in about 4 hours. and my back and neck hurts cause of it lol well hopefully i'll finish this by next week, let me know what you think


	13. Chapter 11

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You guys I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything up in a long time. I'm sorry :( i haven't up to writing been busy with school starting up again.

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"You're going home? Lucky you." Sophie gave Sharpay a wistful look. "I sure am going to miss you."

"I'll call you," Sharpay said, feeling sorry for Sophie, who was still recovering from her abdominal surgery. "And before you know it, you'll be headed home too." Home for Sophie was a small town in the middle of New Mexico at least four hours from Albuquerque and the hospital.

"When are you leaving?"

"My mom's packing my stuff and filling out paperwork right now."

"I'm glad you stopped by to tell me. Have you told Troy?" Sharpay shook her head. "He's my next stop." She didn't let on how much she was dreading it.

"what have you decided to do about him?"

"Nothing, I figured that once he's home, he'll get on with his life."

Sophie dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "I think your dreaming. I think he's going to want to see you."

"Don't say that. You and I both know it's impossible."

"Wrong. You think it's impossible, so you wont change you mind about tell him the truth."

Sharpay squealed, "Will you stop it already! I know what I'm doing."

Sophie shook her head in exasperation. "Never mind. It's like talking to a brick wall." She grinned. "Anyway, keep your promise and call me. I know we haven't been friends for long, but you're my best friend ever and I want things to work out for you. You know, Sharpay, in spite of the way your face looks, you really do have a shot at being normal."

"Just how do you figure that?"

Sophie's gaze led to the wheelchair parked near her bed. "I wish my face was the only thing messed up about me."

Impulsively Sharpay leaned down and hugged her. "I'll be in touch." She positioned her crutches under her arms and retreated from the room.

She stopped at Troy's door, took a deep breath, and knocked. When he called, "Come in," she did.

"I got my walking papers," she told him without preamble."

His bandages couldn't hide this disappointment. "I'll miss you."

"That's what Sophie said. Maybe I should start a fan club. Charge a fee." Sharpay kept her voice light and breezy.

"You said you'd be back for PT. Will you come up and visit with me?" he asked.

"You bet. I'll even bring you some new Books on Tape."

He held out his hand and she reached and grasped it. His grip felt warm and strong and she wished she didn't ever have to let go. "You take care of yourself," he said.

"You too."

"You did mean what you said the other night about staying friends, didn't you?"

"I meant it." She was telling him what he wanted to hear and only hoped he wouldn't hate her when he figured out the truth…that she had no intention of ever seeing him again.

Without warning, Troy reached up and caught the side of her face with his hand. She gasped, but then realized he was cupping the right side, the normal side. "Don't be mad," he said softly. "I've wanted to touch you for the longest time."

Just so long as his fingers didn't venture to the left side of her face, she didn't mind. "It's all right," she said, glad she had gone crutches for support because her knees had gone weak with anxiety and emotion.

He smoothed this thumb along her cheek, brushing the fringe of her eyelashes and the bridge of her nose. _Too closet_! Her mind warned. Sharpay pulled back. "Please don't," he whispered. "Can I touch your hair?"

She gulped. "Okay."

His fingers moved upward until they stroked the tips of her think, blonde hair. He wound strands around his hand, tugging them gently, tenderly; he rolled long clusters between his thumb and fingers, as if testing the texture. As if tasting it with his sense of touch. He reached higher, combed his fingers through the thickness, and said, "Very soft. I figured it would be."

He breathe caught in her throat and she could scarcely breathe. Tears stung her eyes. She longed to have him kiss her. if only…if only.

He withdrew his hand and brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed deeply. "Smells like flowers. And sunshine." He turned his face toward her, and she touched the corners of the bandage on his eyes. They were the barrier that held him prisoner, yet protected her. "I've noticed that scent every time you've come into my room. I've wondered if it was your hair or some perfume."

"New shampoo, the ad campaign said it would drive guys wild," she joked, hoping to make him laugh and break the tension. He smiled. "Funny girl. But you don't always have to make a joke."

Humor was the only way she knew of dealing with intense emotional moments. "I've got to go." She stepped backward.

"I'll be seeing you, pretty Sharpay."

She winced because his words had stung. "Goodbye, Troy."

She hurried next door, where her mother looked up from the suitcase she was packing. "There you are. I wondered where you ran off to." She paused and eyed Sharpay narrowly. "Are you alright? You look like you're crying."

"I'm fine, mom. I was just saying goodbye."

Her mother shook her head, bemused. "You never cease to amaze me. You're always said you hated hospitals, and now you're crying because you have to leave this one. I'd have thought you'd never wanted to see the inside of this place again."

"I don't, Mom. Call the nurse and tell her I'm ready for the wheelchair ride downstairs." She turned to the mirror and stared at the twisted half of her face, then jerked her hair back into a ponytail. Suddenly she didn't want anything to obstruct her true image, her real self. She didn't want to forget that what Troy had made her feel was an illusion. She would never be normal. Or pretty. She mustn't ever forget. _Never!_

At home Sharpay moped around the house for the rest of the afternoon, unable to shake the case of the blues. She missed the routine of the hospital. Most of all, she missed Troy. The next morning Ryan asked, "You want a ride to school?"

"I'll catch the bus," Sharpay said. "The sooner I get back into my regular routine, the better."

"Mom wants me to take you to PT tomorrow afternoon. Trouble is I have ensemble practice every day after school. State competition is in March, and if we don't practice every day, we'll never get a superior rating."

"I can drive myself."

"Tell that to Mom."

"I'm telling you, I can drive. There's nothing wrong with my right foot, and that's the one that controls the car."

"You'll have to clear it with Mom." Ryan said.

"How will you get home if I persuade her?"

"Gabby will bring me."

"Oh, I forgot about her."

"I'll give up ensemble practice on the days you have PT if Mom says you can't drive yourself."

"You shouldn't have to do that."

Ryan shrugged. "I hate practice."

But Sharpay could tell that her brother really did want practice. "Let me talk to Mom."

At school she felt as she always did a nonparticipant, on the outside looking in.. her classes weren't a struggle; schoolwork came easily to her. But blending into the social scenery was something else again. A few kids spoke to her, asked her how her leg was doing, but most looked past her. Or over her, or through her as if she hardly existed. She couldn't wait for the bell to ring, marking the end of the day, so that she could go home and forget all about high school and how she didn't fit in.

She told herself that in a few days she'd toughen up and it wouldn't matter. But the truth was that someone…Troy…had treated her as if she were pretty and desirable. Now she had to return to being the ugly duckling, and it was difficult.

She was deep in thought, fiddling with the combination lock on her locker after school, balancing books and crutches, knowing she had to hurry if she was going to make it to her bus stop, when her notebook slipped from her hands and spilled on the hall floor.

Kids pouring out of rooms scurried past, stepping all over the binder. She could only watch helplessly, for she was unable to stoop down and rescue her notebook for fear of being trampled. All at once a boy's voice said, "Let me get that for you, babe."

She spun, forgetting to shield her face. Her rescuer was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He was smiling, but as he caught sight of her face, his smile faded, and shocked surprise took its place. "I'll get it," she snapped, and struggled to hold her crutches with one hand while she bent over.

Then a girl's voice intervened.

"Problems Sharpay?"

It was Gabby. She stooped and gathered up her notebook and scattered papers. She stood and glared at the boy, still standing staring. Gabby snarled, "What's your problem? If you're not going to help, get out of the way."

The boy darted off.

"Dumb jerk, "Gabby muttered.

Sharpay straightened, her body burning with humiliation. "Thanks for retrieving my stuff," she said taking the note book.

"Well I'll see you later, remember Sharpay I'm always there for you."

"I will."

Sharpay was about to leave when Jon her old friend yelled for her. "Wait."

"I've got to hurry or I'll miss my bus." She couldn't bear to look at him in the eye. Couldn't stand knowing that he was watching her while she was being humiliated by a stranger's look.

"I'm hanging around with gabby waiting for Ryan. Will you wait with me? Jon asked.

"I can't."

Jon reached out and took her arm. "I want to talk to you, Sharpay. There're some things I need to say to you. Some things I have to say. You can get a ride home from Gabby when were done, so please don't run off. Hear me out please.

* * *

So what do you think? I had to add thr Jon part to make it sound more interesting lol its in the book but I'm twisting it around.


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